Minor NFL Transactions: 8/21/23
Today’s minor transactions:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: RB Stevie Scott
- Released: P Matt Haack
- Waived/injured: OL Lachavious Simmons
Atlanta Falcons
- Waived/injured: WR Frank Darby
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: G Garrett McGhin
- Placed on IR: OT Tommy Doyle (story), DE Shane Ray
Carolina Panthers
- Waived: DT Marquan McCall
Chicago Bears
- Placed on IR: S Adrian Colbert
- Waived/injured: TE Jared Pinkney
Cincinnati Bengals
- Activated from PUP: TE Mitchell Wilcox
Denver Broncos
- Signed: WR Josh Hammond
Detroit Lions
- Reverted to IR: RB Mohamed Ibrahim
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: LB Marvin Pierre
- Placed on IR: TE Tyler Davis
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Juwan Green
- Waived/injured: WR Kekoa Crawford
- Released from IR: DB Anthony Witherstone
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: QB James Blackman
- Waived/injured: CB Tino Ellis
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: LB Curtis Weaver
New Orleans Saints
- Released from IR: OL Scott Lashley
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: WR Aron Cruickshank, LB Kuony Deng
- Waived/injured: WR Hakeem Butler, WR Cody White
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: RB Brian Hill
- Waived: DL Tomasi Laulile
Seattle Seahawks
- Signed: TE Sal Cannella
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S Richard LeCounte
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: DL Trevon Coley
Brian Hill comes to San Francisco with 48 career games under his belt. He had a career year for the Falcons back in 2020, compiling 664 yards from scrimmage in 16 games. The RB has bounced around the NFL a bit since, spending time with the Titans, Browns, and 49ers (two stints). Following stints in the CFL and XFL, the 27-year-old will now add some depth to a San Francisco running backs room that already includes Christian McCaffrey, Elijah Mitchell, Jordan Mason, Tyrion Davis-Price, and Jeremy McNichols.
Trevon Coley started 29 games for the Browns through his first two seasons in the NFL, but he’s struggled to stay on the field since. The defensive lineman got into seven games for the Colts in 2019 and (most recently) six games for the Cardinals in 2020. In total, the 29-year-old has 100 career tackles and 3.5 sacks on his resume.
Adrian Colbert won’t play for the Bears in 2023 after being placed on IR, although there’s a chance he’s cut loose and allowed to play for another squad. The veteran safety has played in 41 career games, starting 22. He’s been limited to only 14 games since the 2020 campaign, including a two-game stint with the Bears in 2022.
Packers Cut Down Roster To 53
The Packers cut their roster down to 53 players today:
Waived
- K Ramiz Ahmed
- TE Sal Cannella
- S De’Vante Cross
- CB Kabion Ento
- QB Danny Etling
- WR Travis Fulgham
- CB Rico Gafford
- RB Tyler Goodson
- LB LaDarius Hamilton
- DL Jack Heflin
- OL Caleb Jones
- LB Kobe Jones
- OL Michal Menet
- DL Chris Slayton
- LB Ty Summers
- RB Patrick Taylor
- CB Kiondre Thomas
- LB Ray Wilborn
- RB Dexter Williams
- WR Juwann Winfree
Waived/injured:
- TE Nate Becker
- DL Akial Byers
- WR Ishmael Hyman
- TE Alizé Mack
Placed on reserve/PUP:
- RB Kylin Hill
The Packers ended up keeping only a pair of running backs in Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon, so the team must be feeling pretty confident that one of their waived RBs will pass through waivers and land on their practice squad. Patrick Taylor would seem to be the favorite for the RB3 role after collecting 25 touches in 2021. Meanwhile, the Packers kept seven wide receivers on their roster, so the release of Travis Fulgham was mostly due to a roster crunch.
The Packers no longer had a need for Ramiz Ahmed, as NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports (on Twitter) that the team activated kicker Mason Crosby off PUP after the veteran passed his physical. Crosby missed training camp and preseason while recovering from offseason knee surgery.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/21/22
Today’s minor transactions:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: OT David Sharpe
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: TE Sal Cannella
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: Matthias Farley
- Placed on NFI list: DT Vernon Butler
- Placed on PUP: WR Dillon Stoner
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: DE Carlo Kemp
New York Jets
- Signed: CB Craig James
- Placed on NFI list: OT Greg Senat
WR John Brown Works Out For Packers
John Brown is still seeking a job for the 2022 campaign, but the veteran wideout had a chance to show what he’s got on Wednesday. Brown worked out for the Packers today, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter).
[RELATED: Packers Wrap Draft Class, Sign WR Christian Watson]
Following a two-year stint with the Bills, Brown joined the Raiders last offseason. He didn’t end up making it to the regular season with his new squad, and he proceeded to join three more organizations before the season was finished. Brown had stints with the Broncos, Jaguars, and Buccaneers between October and January. He saw time in four games without hauling in a catch.
Brown was a 1,000-yard receiver as recently as 2019, and he averaged 50.9 yards per game in 2020 (the third-highest mark of his career behind his two 1,000-yard campaigns). A high ankle sprain and stints on the COVID list limited him to only nine games in 2020, but prior to that, Brown only missed nine games through six seasons.
The Packers don’t have a clear-cut wideout following the Davante Adams trade, but they have done some work to add to their receiving corps. The team added three receivers in the draft, including Christian Watson (second round), Romeo Doubs (fourth round), and Samori Toure (seventh round). The organization also brought in veteran Sammy Watkins to pair with Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb.
Brown wasn’t the only player to get a tryout with the Packers. The team also hosted tight end Sal Cannella, offensive tackle Airon Servais, and defensive back Bryce Watts.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/5/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: WR Trevor Davis
- Placed on IR: TE Jaeden Graham
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: S Brian Cole, FB Rod Smith
- Waived: WR Ventell Bryant
Denver Broncos
- Reverted to IR: OT Cody Conway
Green Bay Packers
- Claimed (from Ravens): LB Chauncey Rivers
- Waived: LS Joe Fortunato
Los Angeles Chargers
- Placed on IR: DL Jared Goldwire
Los Angeles Rams
- Waived/injured: DB Dayan Lake
- Reverted to IR: OL Jamil Demby
Miami Dolphins
- Waived: TE Sal Cannella, TE Gabe Holmes, TE Kalif Jackson; the team signed all three on Wednesday
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: TE Cethan Carter, TE Adam Shaheen, WR Preston Williams
Minnesota Vikings
- Waived: QB Case Cookus
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: DE Kendall Donnerson
New York Jets
- Reverted to IR: S Brandon White
Philadelphia Eagles
- Waived: CB Shakial Taylor
- Placed on IR: DB Nate Meadors
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Reverted to IR: G Anthony Coyle
San Francisco 49ers
- Reverted to IR: CB Tim Harris
Seattle Seahawks
- Waived: WR Darvin Kidsy
Dolphins Add Three Tight Ends
Why sign one tight end when you can sign all the tight ends? The Dolphins have added a handful of players at that position over the past 24 hours, including Sal Cannella, Gabe Holmes, and Kalif Jackson.
The trio’s stint with the Dolphins could be short lived, as the team made the additions only after placing three other tight ends (Mike Gesicki, Adam Shaheen, and Cethan Carter) on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Still, the three players will presumably have a fair shot at showing what they’ve got, but they’ll have to overcome the likes of Carson Meier and Chris Myarick if they want to stick around.
Holmes is the only one of the three additions with any NFL experience, as the 30-year-old appeared in 10 games (four starts) for the Cardinals between the 2017 and 2018 seasons. The Purdue product has also spent time with the Colts, Ravens, Seahawks, and Raiders.
Following his collegiate career at Auburn, Cannella has participated in the Spring League over the past two years. He had tryouts with the Colts and Bears this offseason, but neither audition resulted in a deal. Jackson started his college career at Florida before transferring to Grambling. The former wideout is list at 6-5 and 245 pounds, so it sounds like he’s added the bulk to compete at tight end.
Jake Butt, E.J. Gaines, Mike Pennel At Bears’ Minicamp On Tryout Basis
The Bears have invited some well-known guests to their minicamp. They are working out five players — including tight end Jake Butt, cornerback E.J. Gaines and defensive tackle Mike Pennel — at their three-day mandatory session, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets.
This marks Butt’s second known workout of the offseason. The Michigan alum auditioned for the Cardinals recently. Although Butt starred for the Wolverines not that long ago, he has battled rampant injury trouble as a pro. The former Broncos draftee now has three career ACL tears, two coming in Denver, and has played in just eight games in four seasons.
Mixed signals have come out of Chicago regarding the team’s interest in adding a veteran cornerback. The Bears were believed to be interested in Bashaud Breeland, but he signed with the Vikings, and had Steven Nelson on the radar. But new DC Sean Desai also expressed confidence in his in-house cover men. Gaines has 38 career starts but has not played in a game since the 2018 season. The former Rams draftee opted out in 2020.
Pennel leads this group in experience. The veteran interior D-lineman spent the past two years with the Chiefs, making an impact for the two-time reigning AFC champions’ run defense. Pennel, 30, played 14 games with Kansas City last season. The former Packers and Jets defender has played seven NFL seasons.
The Bears are also working out two players who recently participated in The Spring League — tight end Sal Cannella and Tyrone Wheatley Jr. The team lists Wheatley as an offensive lineman, though the second-generation NFL hopeful played tight end at Michigan — as one of Butt’s backups — and Stony Brook. Chicago’s minicamp is scheduled to run through Thursday.
